r.i.p. Puddles

Zoo's male hippo euthanized
after being moved, falling ill
Puddles, 44, fathered 16 calves with mate, who is doing well
by Suzanne Herel, San Francisco Chronicle, 26 2007

Puddles, a hippopotamus who charmed visitors by spinning his tail to scatter his excrement, died Friday after spending 43 of his 44 years in the San Francisco Zoo.

"It's a sad day at the zoo," said Bob Jenkins, the zoo's director of animal care.

The 3,200-pound male Nile hippo began displaying signs of respiratory distress and had trouble standing early Friday, the day after he and his longtime mate were moved by crane to temporary quarters in the old Pachyderm Building while their habitat is revamped.

"There's no real evidence that any real part of the move caused this situation," Jenkins said, noting that Puddles' partner, 45-year-old Cuddles, was relocated in the same manner. On Friday, she was doing well and enjoyed a dinner of hay, fruit, carrots and her favorite -- romaine lettuce.

At 44, Puddles had entered his sunset years; hippos live 40 to 50 years in zoos, which is about double their lifespan in the wild.

Before Thursday, Puddles' health had been "generally good," Jenkins said. The animal had experienced some lameness in his left back leg, Jenkins said, though that seemed to have abated.

But it's hard to tell, because hippos, one of the largest land mammals, don't lend themselves to easy physicals, he said.

A necropsy will be performed on Puddles to determine what led to his death, and zoo officials won't consider acquiring any new hippos until they can figure that out, Jenkins said.

The longtime couple were being moved because their habitat is being renovated to double their pool space and create 2,000 square feet of grazing pasture. In preparation, zookeepers acclimated the hippos to their prospective carrying containers several months ago, Jenkins said.

On Thursday, they were placed inside the crates and lifted by crane to their new quarters. During the trip, Puddles lay down in his container and, on arrival, had difficulty standing. Zoo officials thought it best to let Puddles leave his crate at his own pace, but even after he did, he continued to have trouble getting to his feet.

Puddles was placed on pain medication and monitored overnight. When the hippo's condition worsened on Friday, the decision was made to euthanize him.

Puddles and Cuddles had been together for about 43 years, during which time they parented 16 calves -- eight male, eight female.

"People would line up to see Puddles take a dump," former penguin keeper Jane Tollini told The Chronicle three years ago when the zoo was celebrating its 75th anniversary.

Despite her newly widowed status, Cuddles appeared to be in good spirits, Jenkins said.

If she lives for the next few years, she won't remain alone. While the zoo won't immediately move to acquire new hippos, Jenkins said, the habitat is being revamped with future acquisitions in mind.

Cuddles, who last gave birth to a calf in 1993, won't be looking for a virile mate, though, because she's past her reproductive years. After 16 offspring, she'll get a chance to, well, just cuddle.

Chronicle staff writer Patricia Yollin contributed to this report. E-mail Suzanne Herel at sherel@sfchronicle.com.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/05/26/BAGLRQ2AU91.DTL

This article appeared on page B - 2 of the San Francisco Chronicle
© 2007 Hearst Communications Inc.